{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-secures-key-priorities-in-pandemic-relief-package", "Cotton Secures Key Priorities in Pandemic Relief Package", "2020-12-22", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\nContact: Caroline Tabler orJames Arnold (202) 734-0430\n\nDecember 22, 2020\n\nCotton Secures Key Priorities in Pandemic Relief Package\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) announced that the following provisions were included in the latest Covid-19 relief package.\n\n\u201cAfter months of Democratic stalling, Congress finally passed updated relief for Arkansans and Americans around the country. I\u2019m pleased that many provisions helping Arkansans recover and get back to work were included in the final bill,\u201d said Cotton.\n\nVaccine Support:\n\n$20 billion to purchase vaccines that will be available at no charge to anyone who needs it.\n\n$8 billion for vaccine distribution.\n\n$20 billion to assist states with testing.\n\nPaycheck Protection Program (PPP):\n\n2nd round of PPP loans for small businesses that have suffered losses caused by the pandemic.\n\nSimplifies loan forgiveness applications for PPP loans of $150,000 or less.\n\nExpenses paid with PPP loans are tax deductible.\n\nMandates the eligibility of religious institutions and includes small broadcasters as eligible businesses.\n\nPlanned Parenthood is barred from receiving PPP second-draw loans. Senator Cotton led 27 other senators in urging the Department of Justice to investigate Planned Parenthood after it improperly received PPP loans through the CARES Act earlier this year.\n\nPoultry and Timber Payments:\n\nPoultry growers under contract will be eligible for payments.\n\nProvides $200 million in assistance to timber harvesting and hauling businesses that suffered losses greater than 10 percent as a result of the pandemic.\n\nLivestock Dealer Trust:\n\nEnsures that cattle sellers receive payment if a livestock dealer becomes insolvent.\n\nComprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act:\n\nExtends Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant recipients who do not have other coverage.\n\nMedicaid Access for Marshallese Arkansans:\n\nExtends Medicaid eligibility to citizens of Freely Associated States living in the United States, including many Marshallese residents of Northwest Arkansas.\n\nWater Resources Development Act:\n\nAuthorizes the McClellan Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) channel deepening project.\n\nAuthorizes the Ouachita and Black Rivers water supply project.\n\nRural Access to Hospice Act:\n\nAllows beneficiaries to keep their known Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and RHC physician when they choose to enter hospice.\n\nFederal Reserve:\n\nEnsures that Federal Reserve emergency lending powers cannot be repurposed beyond their goal of restoring functioning credit markets.\n\nThe legislative package also included several national security priorities for Senator Cotton, including:\n\nTaiwan Assurance Act:\n\nSenator Cotton introduced the Taiwan Assurance Act in 2019 to enhance the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and bolster Taiwan's participation in the international community.\n\nHuawei Replacement Funding:\n\nProvides funding for rural carriers to remove Huawei gear from their networks.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-secures-key-priorities-in-pandemic-relief-package"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5146869700402021, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}